


aren't we a little old for spooky stories?

by lovelyflowersinherhair



Series: so here's your valentine [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Dead Jason Blossom, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 19:30:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21202883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelyflowersinherhair/pseuds/lovelyflowersinherhair
Summary: “Cheryl, why are the twins crawling on their dead father?”





	aren't we a little old for spooky stories?

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted by sweetpeasbabydoll on tumblr on this post: https://deargrilledcheesusyouredelicious.tumblr.com/post/188595550886/falloween-prompt-game.
> 
> Please note that this was written before that photo of Jason and the twins appeared on Instagram. I am HORRIFIED that RVD decided that this should be a real thing.

For the most part, things had gotten back to normal for Alice. A new normal, at least. She was living in the house on Elm Street, neither daughter was in a cult, and she had gone back to work at the Riverdale Register. The only difference was that FP was there beside her. Sure, that was partly because he owned the house that they all lived in, but it was nice to feel like he was on her side, like he cared about her. They had had a long talk about what had happened. He had insisted on it when he’d asked her to come home. 

Home. Alice had never really thought of the house on Elm Street as home before, but FP’s presence had turned it into one, even though he had made some decorating choices she deeply disapproved of. The pool table had been dragged into what had been Hal’s downstairs apartment, and Alice had been able to return her dining room to its former state over the course of the month. 

There were just some loose ends that needed to be tied up before Alice could consider the farm being put behind her entirely, mainly obtaining her grandchildren back from Cheryl and Toni. With Polly in a locked psychiatric ward, custody of Juniper and Dagwood had fallen back to Alice, who couldn’t in good conscience leave the twins in the care of two teenagers and a senile woman, regardless of what emergency circumstances had led them to be in that situation in the first place. 

“Thank you for coming with me,” Alice said, and she managed to smile weakly at FP as they drove to Thistlehouse. “I really don’t feel comfortable going there alone. The place gives me the creeps.” 

“What part about it alarms you?” FP asked. “The fact that Cheryl and Toni are supervised by someone who doesn’t know what decade it is? Or the fact that it’s probably haunted?”

“Haunted?” Alice pursed her lips. “Why on earth would you think that Thistlehouse is haunted, FP? Aren’t we a little old for spooky stories?” 

“You know how it goes,” he told her. “Those old estates. They’re filled with ghosts.” 

She wrinkled her nose. “I would prefer not to think of my grandchildren being haunted, thank you,” she said. “Those are just rumors. I don’t think any of the Blossoms are haunting the mansion. If any of them would be, it would be Jason, wondering why his children were given such horrible names.”

“That sister of his gives me the creeps,” he said after a moment. “Have you looked into her eyes?”

“I try not to acknowledge Cheryl,” she said. “If it hadn’t been an emergency situation, neither child would be in her care in the first place! And why are they still in her carre, Forsythe? Did you not think that I would have rather  _ you _ been in charge of them?”   
  


“Betty never mentioned that Cheryl had them,” he told her. “I didn’t know, Al. Otherwise I would have brought them home. At least I would have been better at it than Cheryl.” 

Alice sighed. Of course Elizabeth had neglected to mention the presence of her own niece and nephew at Thistlehouse. She probably hadn’t wanted to deal with them. On one hand, Alice could understand that. On the other hand, it was annoying to have to personally collect the children from their questionably-sane aunt’s house. She selfishly hoped that Toni -- and only Toni -- was there. Alice didn’t mind Toni. She could stomach being in her presence.

“It’s fine, FP. I suspect that Cheryl has kept them away from their actual family on purpose, and I am not looking forward to finding out why.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


“I really don’t think this is a good idea,” Toni said firmly, after she recovered herself enough to be capable of speech. “Cheryl, why are the twins crawling on their dead father?”    
  


Since Toni had had the grand misfortune of discovering that Jason had been hidden in the Blossoms’ basement chapel, she had spent the past few weeks trying to encourage -- if not outright demand -- that his body be returned to the grave it had been buried in. Cheryl had been rather reluctant. While most people would have taken their significant other’s horror at their actions as a sign that they had taken leave of their senses, Cheryl had merely been egged on. 

Jason had left his position in the basement and had become a fixture in the living areas of Thistlehouse. Toni had done her best to protest this, but Cheryl had insisted that Jason wanted to be part of their lives. Toni was certain that what Jason wanted to do was infest the entire mansion with vermin. He was doing a great job.

“Why shouldn’t they be?” Cheryl demanded. “He’s their dad.”

“He’s dead. They’re infants. He’s  _ filled _ with rats.”

“Oh, pish, TT,” she said, in a scoffing tone. “You’re just overreacting. Juniper and Dagwood  _ want _ to meet JJ.” 

“They’re infants,” she said. “They don’t know what they want. You’re putting them in danger!”

The twins hadn’t even noticed that they were sharing Jason’s lap with a rather large rat, though Toni had, and she swept across the room to where they sat and scooped them up, Juniper in one arm, and Dagwood in the other. 

“TT!”

“Don’t you  _ dare _ TT me,” she snapped. “I’m bringing Juniper and Dagwood to the Coopers.” 

“What?” 

“I can’t do this anymore,” she said. “I can’t have you around them if you’re going to have  _ Jason _ around them. He’s dead. They could have been bitten by the  _ rats _ in this room, and you don’t even care.” 

“So you’d rather have them live with Cousin Alice?” 

“Yes!” Toni exclaimed. “Her house isn’t filled with rats and she wouldn’t let your grandmother be in charge of two helpless infants while she was in school, like you have!”

Cheryl rolled her eyes. “I don’t understand why you don’t want them to bond with him--”

“It’s not bonding, Cher. It’s sick. He’s not capable of bonding with them, or with anyone, and the twins do not need to bond with their father’s corpse. I don’t even think  _ you _ should be bonding with their father’s corpse.” 

“Is that so?” 

She drew in a deep breath. “Yeah, it is. I don’t want to be in this house if Jason is. And I don’t want the twins here, either.” 

“Fine with me,” she said. “You’re more than welcome to leave with them, TT. I’m sure that Cousin Alice has a broom closet to store you in.”

“You’re kicking me out?”    
  
“You’re the one that said she doesn’t want to live with JJ.” 

“You know what? Fine,” Toni said. “I would  _ much _ rather be living at FP’s. At least there I’m not worried about catching the plague.” 

“JJ isn’t contagious--”   
  


“From the  _ vermin _ that have taken over his body,” she elaborated. “His corpse.” 

Cheryl huffed. “You’re imagining things.” 

Toni opened her mouth to reply when the doorbell rang. “I’m going to answer that,” she said. “You and...the body can stay right here.”

“He has a name!” Cheryl commanded, but Toni paid her little mind, solely focused on answering the door. 

She didn’t care who it was -- they were going to be stuck with her and the twins until she got ahold of Alice or FP. She didn’t even know if she wanted to take the time to pack things from her and Cheryl’s room. She was sure that Cheryl would have her things destroyed if she left them, but she also suspected that the rats had already destroyed them. Not that Toni had been around a large scale infestation before. Rats hadn’t been common in Sunnyside. 

She pulled the door open, and stepped out onto the porch, not caring that she’d practically stumbled onto the visitors. 

“Toni? What’s the matter?” 

“I--” Toni drew in a deep breath, and she had the presence of mind to pass the babies off to the nearest adult. “I think I’m gonna be sick.” 

Juniper and Dagwood babbled happily, as if in agreement. They weren’t very helpful to the conversation. 

“Jason--”

“Oh,  _ enough _ about that boy,” Alice said. “Even when he’s  _ dead _ he manages to ruin my life. I have half a mind to sue that estate for the money that Polly’s program is costing me--” 

“He’s in the house!”   
  


“Toni, Jason is dead,” FP said. Juniper patted his beard. “Why would he be in the house? What are you talking about?”

“Maybe she’s hallucinating?” Alice suggested. “Do you have a fever? Have you taken any sort of drugs?”

“TT?” Cheryl called out in the distance. “Should JJ and I prepare a spot of tea for our visitors?” 

“She has him in the house,” Toni said. “Cheryl. She brought his...body back from the Sisters. He’s been in the basement.”

“What?”

“You heard me,” she said. “If you don’t believe me, come in and see for yourself.”

  
  



End file.
